Gov. Chris Christie’s plan to fold the New Jersey lottery into the cash-starved pension system for public workers is gaining some steam in the Legislature, with a leading Democratic senator saying he will likely be a sponsor.
After the Christie administration unveiled a draft bill last week, state Sen. Paul Sarlo, a Democrat who chairs the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, called it an “intriguing” idea that he would likely shepherd through the Legislature.
“I think there’s a lot of merit to why this potentially should be considered,” Sarlo, D-Bergen, said at a budget committee hearing Tuesday.